“What are you up to? Do you want spaghetti?”
It was a gloomy day after a prayer meeting at the Vine Building downtown, where Chloe invited me upstairs. Since I was new to the young adult community, I sensed this was her way of being intentional about including the outsider. And being a young guy in college, I obviously didn’t turn down free food.
From across the island in the middle of the teal kitchen, I answered the usual “get to know you” questions while Chloe cut up bell peppers to fill out the red sauce simmering on the stove. But the course of my life was permanently altered when she told me about her day at work.
Chloe’s coworker at the boutique had casually vented about her dysfunctional marriage during their shift. I remember the way Chloe stopped in the middle of her story to scan the ceiling while emotions unfurled on her face. She was troubled by her coworker’s heartache. Deeply troubled. She was moved to pray and to imagine a better life for her. And while she slid the peppers off the cutting board into the saucepan, I caught a glimpse of sincerity and selflessness that I had never seen before. It struck me.
Her problems are SO different from mine, I thought. As someone at the beginning of his discipleship journey, my main concerns were about chasing miracles, paying adult bills, and trying to quit porn. Why does she care this much about a stranger? How did she get to be so compassionate? Her concern, clearly absorbed during time spent with Jesus, was so impressive, the impact left me reeling for years.
This simple-but-groundbreaking moment highlighted the power of vulnerability when it comes to being a "witness". An obscure little letter in your Bible called Philemon offers a similar, vulnerable insight into the life of a Jesus follower. In it, Paul entreats Philemon to receive his runaway slave like a missing son. Paul shares his newfound love for the former slave, inviting the reader to think something like, “Wow, Paul’s problems are so different from mine. How did he become so redemptive?” And as witnesses of Paul’s sincerity, of the gospel in action, we can absorb a new vision of a life transformed by the love of Jesus. It’s worth a read.
It’s certainly appropriate sometimes to prepare a little speech for an opportunity to share the gospel. But vulnerability is potent. Let’s not discount the power of inviting an outsider to witness your day at work over a bowl of homemade spaghetti sauce. Without a doubt, I still want to be as sensitive and generous as Chloe when I grow up.
(Thanks Chloe!)